How can you begin to live again when you’ve already been forced to…die?

Evangelina Ricci is trapped in a world that’s a never-ending nightmare, a constant ache in which consumes her every breath. Unable to bear the torture any longer, she does the one thing she can to take back control.

Run.

With her best friend Jace in tow, Evangelina attempts to escape her darkened past by leaving for college and diving head first into an aggressive schedule, determined with everything she is to make a name for herself. There’s only one problem—she can’t run away from the demons she struggles with. The demons that’ll forever be there, locked inside, battering her soul. Hiding behind a flawless façade, Evangelina faces her ghosts until her world is turned upside down, invaded by…him.

Blake Turner. Sweet, witty, flirtatious and drop-dead gorgeous, he finds Evangelina at every turn. Scared he’ll uncover the truth she keeps so well guarded, Evangelina tries her best to put on her act, deterring him like she has so many times before—only this guy’s different. He’s relentless. Utterly, absolutely and completely relentless. He sees her and he wants her and won’t stop until she’s his.

Will Evangelina succeed in pushing Blake away? Or will he break down her walls and be the person to make her realize life is worth living?

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Eva has a past filled with demons that she can’t outrun. Everything in her present is a reminder of what happened, whether it’s a word, a phrase, an object. She is ready to leave it all behind and focus on school with the help of her best friend, Jace. Her walls start crumbling down when she meets Blake, someone who is very persistent in wanting to be her friend but will Eva let her walls fall completely or will she stay stuck in the past forever?

This story was all kinds of intense and emotional. Eva is a character who has gone through a lot and reading about her past and how it still affects her in the present personally, socially and emotionally was heart-breaking. She’s trying to get away from the past but she doesn’t seek help and she isn’t really coming to peace with it. She’s basically shoving it away and eventually, that will catch up to her. Even with Eva’s background, I found it hard to like her. I felt sympathy for her in more ways than one but her character was one that I couldn’t really deal with. She ended up becoming a whiny martyr. I know it’s not easy for someone like her to move on so quickly, that’s not what I’m getting at but I could’ve done without all the whining. Once I reached half the story, we start to see her trying to have a life, trying her best to move on and be happy and that’s what I wanted to see from the beginning. View Spoiler »She has been molested and raped by her sister’s boyfriend ever since she was 14-years-old. She only ever told her best friend, Jace and then Blake. « Hide Spoiler

I loved Blake’s character. He never pushed Eva for something more. From the very beginning he was attracted to her but all he ever asked from her was friendship. When they kept spending lots of time together was when he told her he really liked her but still, he would take it slow and wait for her to be ready. He was so patient with her and so very loving and caring. The romance wasn’t thrown in our faces out of nowhere and it took time to build. Months passed before they uttered those three words to one another. I was happy to see it all come to play in a realistic matter. Now, not everything was realistic. Blake was incredibly charming but some stuff he would say were way over the top and I know guys can get all mushy and say those in real life but Blake took them to the other level and the gestures he would do for her. Their first date was a dream and I wish those things would happen in real life. View Spoiler »For the date, he paid someone to bring breakfast to her apartment, paid so she could get a massage so she could be relaxed for their date. Then he paid so she could get mani/pedi and her hair done and then gave her a red dress. Am I done? No. Wait for it…………………………………………….. White horse and a carriage. « Hide Spoiler Their romance was also steamy as hell! Definitely not for young eyes. Still, Blake is a good BBF that you will definitely want to have in your life.

Out of all of the characters, I have to mention Jace. He made the story so much fun! He is Eva’s gay best friend and I freaking adored him! He is the perfect best friend to have. He is there to make you laugh or to lend a shoulder to cry on. He is so sweet and so funny. I wish he gets a happy ending because that guy deserves it!

Let me warn you. This story isn’t a stand-alone. I didn’t know that so imagine my frustration when I finished it only to end in a cliff-hanger. I need to get my hands on the second book where I hope everything gets resolved. If you’re looking for a hot, emotional, intense, tragic story with the message of learning to move on from a horrible past, then this one is for you!

About Celeste Grande

Celeste Grande grew up loving words. From an early age, it was easy for her to open her heart through pen and paper and come away with something poetic. She never thought anything more than releasing her emotions would come of it though. A workaholic that can’t keep still, in her ‘real’ life, she’s a Certified Public Accountant who dreams of writing sexy books all day long. When she isn’t working, she’s reading, writing, mommying and being a wifey to the love of her life.
She lives in New York, still putting pen to paper and anxiously awaiting the debut of her first novel, Live Me, a new adult romance, in October of 2015.

Genesis is a 22-year-old girl who lives in Puerto Rico, an island in the Caribbean. She's obsessed with Instagram (@lattenightsbooks) and coffee shops. When she's not reading or on social media, she can be found eating, at the beach, being with her boyfriend and/or hanging out with friends.